Hat-display case



July 13 1926.

J. l.. M LAUGHLIN ET AL HAT DI SPLAY CASE Filed March 1. 1926 IIIIIIII/II/IIIIIIII/II/IIIIIIA \(IIIIIII/III/IIIIIII/IIIIII/I/fl IN VEN T015 out/'5 MID.

b ia uromvsy Fatented July 13, 1926.

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JOHN L. MCLAUGHLIN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOUR-L AND LOUIS ALLEN, F NEXV YORK, N. Y.

HiinnrsrLAY ones;

Application filed March This invention relates to display cabinets, and more especially to cabinets for the dis play and. protection of hats and the like in a retail establishment, and our object is to produce a cabinet of this character having individual compartments, each of proper size to conveniently display a single hat so that the general contour and color of the same will be readily noted and distinguished more clearly than is possible where hats of difierent colors and styles are displayed side by side upon the shelf in such manner that one cannot be clearly certain of the shade and style with out picking it up and inspecting it apart from others.

A further-object is to provide each con partnient of the cabinet of the type incutioned with an individual door disguished from cabinets having doors which, when opened, expose a large number of hats, as the repeated opening of such doors wien access is desired to a single hat, subjects all of them to more rapid deterioration through repeatedand unnecessary exposure to the air and handling;

Another objectis to produce a compartment cabinet having individual doors held by spring pressure in closed position or open position, in which latter position the doors constitute front shelves or individual stands for the complete display of the hats in convenient-1y accessible position.

lVith these general'objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel and use ful features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference isv to be had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a display cabinet embodying the invention.

1, 1926. Serial N's. 91,389.

characters identify corresponding parts in all of the figures, 1 is a rectangular cabinet divided by horizontal and vertical partitions 2 and 3, respectively, into pigeon holes 4-, which preferably are of cross sectional area adapted to conveniently receive a hat, and of depth to receive a row of hats arranged in line so that only one is clearly discernable through the transparent sections of the doors D normally closing the front ends of the respective compartments.

The front edge of the bottom of each compartment is reduced in thickness in a step-like manner to provide forwardly facing shoulders 5, and each of said shoulders is bored out near its ends at 6. to receive the rear portions of the horizontal arms 7 of a pair of channeled guides, the portions 7 communicating at their front ends with upright arms 8 standing in the vertical plane of the door openings and set in the sides of the frame openings, as shown most clearly in Figures 1 and 4, the channeled faces of the guides of each opening facing inwardly or toward each other. The rear wall of each upright portion 8 of a guide has an opening at its upper end at 9, which registers with a corresponding notch or opening 9 in the corresponding side of the door opening, the guides being secured rigidly in place by screws 9 or the like as shown by Figure l.

Fitting flush in and secured to the opposite edges and lower ends of the sides of the door frames, are plates 10 provideiil with outwardly projecting pins 11 on which are mounted rollers 12 and 13, projecting into the grooved channel brackets, the lower rollers 12 normally resting in and adapted for back and front operation in the channel arms 7 and the upper rollers 13 standing in and adapted for operation up and down in the corresponding channel arms 8, and to hold the doors against swinging outwardly to open or horizontal posit-ion, springs 1d are mounted in the channel arms '2' and apply pressure through blocks 15 on the lower rollers 12 so as to hold the same pressed yieldingly forward against the 'front or outer wall of the respective arm-s 8,.the rollers 13 bearing against the same arms so that the door will be held in its upright position. To guard against the doors swinging inwardly, stops 16 are pro vided against which the upper inner edges of the doors abut when closed.

lVith the construction described, it will be apparent that the operator, by grasping a handle or knob 17 on a particular door, can swing the same outwardly, the pivotal movement starting around the rollers 13 so as to cause the rollers 12 to move back and compress the springs ii, and as this movement occurs, the rollers 13 travel downward in the vertical arms of the channel brackets until they eventually occupy positions at. the lower ends or said arms and the rollers 12 occupy )ositions intermediate the length of the channel arms 7 and thus by contact with the upper walls of said arms, guard against the door swinging to a position below the horizontal. To close the door, the reverse manipulation is followed, that is the outer end of the door starts upward with the rollers 12 as the axis of movement, and as the rollers 13 start upward in the vertical channel arms, the action of the springs it on the rollers 12 tends to force the same forward and thus aid in the closing oi the door, the closing action being arrested eventually by the abutn'ient of the upper inner edges of the door against the opposing stop 16. In this connection, it will be understood that the doors mustbe placed in operative position in the channel guides before the stops 16 are secured in place, as otherwise the latter would make it impossible to effect such assemblage of the doors, and the same statement applies with respect to the removal of the doors, it being further noted that a door must be held in a laterally tilted position to permit of the rollers passing through the door opening preliminary to the assembling and incidental to the removal operation.

lVith the doors closed, it. will be apparent that only the first of a line of hats in each compartment can be clearly observed through the transparent panel of the corresponding doors, and that when a possible purchaser wishes to see av hat more clearly, the door can be swung down to horizontal position and thus serve as a shell? upon which the hat n'iay be completely displayed. It is possible with this arrangement to display a series of hats without subjecting them to promiscuous handling, and when the hats are in the cabinet and the doors are closed, the hats are fairly well protected from dust and moisture and yet are attractively displayed in an individual manner, that is, so that the possible purchaser may clearly observe the style, color and material in a more satisfactory manner than where he must look at. a row of hats simultaneously, though where a simultaneous display o1 several hats at a time is desirable, that can be accomplished by opening several doors and depositing the corresponding number of hats upon such doors.

From the above description, it will be apparent that we have produced a display cabn net for hats, of the type which embodies the features of construction set forth as desirable in the statement of the objects of the invention, and which may be modilied in minor particulars without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

o claim:

1. A display cabinet partitioned to provide a plurality of compartments, doors at the front ends of the e mpartments provided with spaced rollers at the lower end 01' each side edge, channeled guides having vertical and horizontal arms, at opposite sides ot each door, said arms being adapted to respectively receive the rollers accordingly as the doors are in vertical and closed or hori- ZOllttll and opened position, and means for applying forward yielding pressure upon one set or the rollers to hold the doors in either of the positions mentioned.

2. A display cabinet partitioned to provide a plurality of compartments, doors at the front ends oi the compartments provided with spaced rollers at the lower end oi each side edge, channeled guides having vertical and horizontal arms, at opposite sides of each door, said arms being adapted to re spectively receive the rollers accordingly as the doors are in vertical and closed or horizontal and opened position, springs in the horizontal arms of the guides, and "follower blocks held with yielding forward pressure upon one set of the rollers to hold the doors in closed or opened position.

3. A display cabinet partitioned to provide a plurality of compartn'ients, doors at the front ends of the compartments provided with spaced rollers at the lower end of each side edge, channeled guides having vertical and horizontal arms, at opposite sides or each. door, said arms being adapted to respectively receive the rollers accordingly as the doors are in vertical and closed or horizontal and opened position. and means for applying forward yielding pressure upon one set of the rollers to hold the doors in either of the positions mentioned; the vertical arms having openings in their rear walls through which the rollers are successively introduced or removed in the operation of assen'ibling the doors in or removing them from the cabinet.

In witness whereof we hereunto aflix our signatures.

JOHN L. MCLAUGHLIN. LOUIS ALLEN. 

